NEWSLETTER - North Toronto Historical Society

NORTH TORONTO HISTORICAL SOCIETY
North Toronto Town Hall
NEWSLETTER
VOL. 34 NO. 1
MARCH 2010
Spring Programme
Wednesday, 28 April, 7:30 p.m.
PARKDALE: THE “FLOWERY” SUBURB
The former village of Parkdale began as an attractive alternative to downtown living. Over the past
century, the area has faced challenges and emerged as a neighbourhood that’s home to people of all ages
and circumstances. Architectural historian Marta O’Brien will illustrate Parkdale’s story through its
architecture.
Wednesday, 26 May, 7:30 p.m.
MEMORIES OF NORTH TORONTO
An evening of local reminiscences, with recollections of some long-time area residents and excerpts
from taped oral history interviews. Bring your own North Toronto memories! Moderated by Lynda
Moon,
Moon President, North Toronto Historical Society.
Join us at 7:10 for refreshments before the programme.
Victorian houses in
Parkdale, at 1, 3, and
5 Sunnyside Avenue.
Demolished for the
expansion of the
Roncesvalles
carhouse in the 1930s
Photographer Alfred
Pearson, 1923.
City of Toronto Archives.
The Society meets at the Northern District Library, 40 Orchard View Boulevard (one block north of Eglinton, just west of
Yonge) at 7:30 pm on the last Wednesday of each month from September to November & January to May. Programmes are
free and are open to the public. Our co-sponsor is the Northern District Branch of the Toronto Public Library.
Call for Nominations
Heritage News
Summerhill May Become HCD
The Summerhill Residents Association has applied
to Heritage Toronto for a Heritage Conservation
District Study. They are hoping that by having their
neighbourhood declared a Heritage Conservation
District (HCD), its heritage character will be
maintained. Research for the Study is being
conducted by area residents, with the assistance of a
heritage professional, and guidance by city staff.
King Edward Hotel Surprise
The new owner of the King Eddie is renovating –
carefully. Features of the 1903 building’s past glory
are emerging from decades-old layers of
redecorating and alterations. For instance, a false
ceiling protected the painted leather wall-covering
of the old hotel’s Gentleman’s Club. (Latterly the
space had been used as a kitchen.) The Crystal
Ballroom, built in 1923, is exactly as it was left in
1978, when it proved too expensive to bring it up to
new fire codes. Part of an ornate staircase was
found behind a closet. It will be interesting to see
how owner Gil Blutrich incorporates these historic
treasures into his five-star hotel and luxury
condominiums.
War of 1812 - Call for Papers
The editors of Ontario History (journal
of the Ontario Historical Society)
would like to hear from scholars interested in
contributing articles to a special edition of the
journal on the subject of Ontario and The War of
1812. The edition, not unexpectedly, will come
out in 2012.
Expressions of interest and an abstract of the
proposed article can be sent before 31 May, 2010
either to the guest editor Clare Dale
[email protected] or to Thorold Tronrud,
general editor, [email protected].
Info: http://www.ontariohistoricalsociety.ca/
Annual General Meeting
of the North Toronto Historical Society was held
on 24 February, 2010.
Directors elected: Hilary Dawson, Alex
Grenzebach, Lynda Moon, Bill Ramsay, Joan
Sampson.
(See back page for contact information.)
The Heritage Toronto Awards
celebrate outstanding contributions in the
promotion and conservation of Toronto's history
and heritage landmarks. Heritage Toronto asks
you to consider some of the more significant
achievements during 2009, and invites you to
submit a nomination for the 36th Annual Heritage
Toronto Awards. The deadline for nominations is
Tuesday, June 1, 2010. Categories are:
▫ William Greer Architectural Conservation and
Craftsmanship
▫ Book - for a non-fiction book about Toronto's
archaeological, built, cultural and/or natural
heritage and history, published in 2009.
▫ Media - for a production about Toronto's
archaeological, built, cultural or natural heritage
and history.
▫ Community Heritage Award (organisation)
See heritagetoronto.org for more info and
nomination forms.
TSA Seeks Volunteer Tour Guides
Toronto Society of Architects (TSA) is looking for
Volunteer Tour Guides for its new Guided
Architecture Walking Tours, to be launched at
Doors Open (see back page). Full details
http://www.builtheritagenews.ca/news.cfm
Info or to apply to become a Volunteer Tour Guide
please contact, Margo Welch, TSA Executive
Director at: [email protected]
50 Years Ago
Items from the North Toronto Herald, 1960,
contributed by Alex. Grenzebach. The Herald is
available at Northern District Library.
A planning meeting was held in January
regarding the formation of the North York
Historical Society. Happy 50th, NYHS!
A by-law was passed to enable the creation of a
Historical Board “which will advise City Council
on all matters of a historical nature within the
municipality and will also be authorized to restore
and maintain such buildings as from time to time
are placed under its control by the City.”
50 Years Ago continues on page 3
2
North Toronto Historical Society Newsletter Vol. 34 No. 1, March 2010
50 Years Ago continued from page 2
According to Metro Chairman Fred Gardiner, work
on the Spadina Road extension and the subway may
start in 1961. York Township protested the
proposed extension of Spadina Road through
Cedarvale Park.
Veronica Albon, 15, North York, is the first girl to
invade the industrial arts course at Bathurst Heights
collegiate. She is the lone girl among 18 boys in the
architectural drafting course. High praise comes to
Veronica from her instructor, who says her work is
remarkable and she shows great promise. Veronica is
shown above with some of the tools she must know how
to use.
Champion hairdresser of Canada, 1960: Doris
Anderson Paul of Mr. Paul Beauty Salon, Yonge St.
near Lawrence.
It was announced that two 13-storey apartment
buildings would be erected in the area east of
Yonge and south of Eglinton. The OMB approved
the zoning change required to permit higher
construction. Realtor Harvey Keith believed the
development would “help establish a pattern of
high-rise apartments and commercial development
in the area.” How true!
North Toronto Historical Society Newsletter Vol.34 No. 1, March 2010
3
Winter Lecture Series
James Beaty of Toronto & Glengrove
A statue has recently been erected of an
influential nineteenth century businessman with a
North Toronto connection.
In the 1850s, James Beaty
acquired a summer retreat
north of Toronto, on the west
side of Yonge Street. He
named this farm Glengrove. He
was an Irish immigrant who
opened a leather store in the
Town of York. In 1852, he
established the Leader
newspaper (at 167 King Street East), which
published until 1878. He was on the boards of the
Grand Trunk Railway, the General Hospital, and
the “Asylum”. He was interested in politics, and
became a Tory MP.
JANUARY The History of Chinatown in
Toronto
Writer Arlene Chan grew up in
Chinatown, helping in her
parents’ restaurant (Kwongchow
on Elizabeth Street) from the age
of nine. When two-thirds of old
Chinatown was expropriated for
urban renewal and New City
Hall, Arlene’s mother, Jean
Lumb, spearheaded the Save
Chinatown Committee. The
grouped stopped the demolition
of the remaining Chinese
neighbourhood. For this and her
other community services, Jean
Lumb became the first Chinese-Canadian woman
and the first Canadian restaurateur to be awarded
the Order of Canada, presented in 1976.
Arlene went on to describe the history of the
Chinese in Canada. Until1884, they had free entry
to the country. The first Chinese immigrants were
propelled by hunger, unemployment and political
unrest in China, and lured by the Fraser River Gold
Rush, in 1858. Most of these early arrivals came
from the province of Guandong, and spoke
Taisanese, a dialect related to Cantonese. They
settled in the West.
The Canadian government encouraged more
Chinese to come as labourers for the CPR, when the
trans-national railway was constructed in the 1880s.
Men were hired in China, and packed onto ships
where a diet of rice and tea caused many deaths
from malnutrition on the month-long voyage. In the
railway work camps, the Chinese were forced to
live together, and were given the most dangerous
construction tasks.
Statue of businessman, politician, and newspaper
publisher James Beaty, by Toronto sculptor
Adrienne Alison. Located in the courtyard of King
George Square at 160 King Street East, opposite
the old Leader office.
With the completion of the railway across Canada,
Chinese labour was seen as unnecessary. Worse, it
was believed that the Chinese were undermining
the employment opportunities of “Canadians” by
accepting low wages. From 1885, entry was
restricted, and a head tax was imposed on all
Chinese residents. In 1885 this was $50; by 1903 it
Chinatown continues on page 5
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North Toronto Historical Society Newsletter Vol. 34 No. 1, March 2010
Chinatown continued from page 4
even those born in here. About a dozen Chinese
families lived in Toronto, but it was primarily a
bachelor society, as women and children were now
excluded. By 1930 about 100 women lived in the
Chinese community of about 1240.
The 1967 Points System stopped exclusion on
racial grounds, and allowed Chinese people to
apply as immigrants on the same basis as other
groups. China is now the largest source for
Canadian immigrants.
Spirit of the dragon: Jean Lumb, a Proud
Chinese Canadian. Arlene Chan
Toronto: Umbrella Press, 1997.
Memorial to Commemorate the Chinese Railroad
Workers in Canada, located near Toronto’s Rogers
Centre.
Photo: Toronto Railway Historical Society
http://www.trha.ca/
The Jean Lumb Foundation
is a Canadian, not-for-profit
organization that was
incorporated in 2006 and
established as a charitable
foundation in 2008. Its
purpose is to advance
education by providing
scholarships to high school
students of Chinese heritage.
http://www.jeanlumbfoundation.ca/
had increased to $500 per person. In BC,
restrictions were imposed on where the Chinese
could work and live. In 1907 Vancouver, white
resentment erupted in an anti-Asian race riot. With
mounting hostility in the west, many Chinese
moved east.
MORE about Canadian Chinese History
The earliest record of a Chinese person living in
Toronto is the 1878 Street Directory, which records
Sam Ching’s hand laundry business at 9 Adelaide
Street East. Willingness to work long hours for
little pay meant that many Chinese went into the
laundry business when other career opportunities
were barred to them.
Library & Archives Canada: The Early Chinese
Canadians 1858–1947
http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/chinesecanadians/
By 1910 two Chinese business areas were
developing in Toronto: one on Queen Street East
and the other at York Street. Soon, the York/
Elizabeth Street district was expanding north to
Dundas Street.
CBC documentary: Chinese Immigration to
Canada: A Tale of Perseverance
http://archives.cbc.ca/society/immigration/
topics/1433/
Local Chinese History at the City of Toronto
Archives
http://www.toronto.ca/archives/
chinesehistory.htm
Canadian hostility to the Chinese culminated in the
passing in 1923 of the Chinese Exclusion Act. Until
its repeal in 1947, only about 50 Chinese men were
admitted to Canada. All Chinese had to register,
North Toronto Historical Society Newsletter Vol.34 No. 1, March 2010
5
FEBRUARY From Here to Quebec City:
One Man’s Tantalizing Trek
Through Multiculturalism
Our February speaker, writer and broadcaster
Robert Payne, is the fifth generation of his family to
live in Canada. His parents and grandparents were
born in New Brunswick, and may be descendants of
Black Loyalists. However, when Robert was
growing up his family never talked about their
origins before arriving in New Brunswick. Luckily
for us, Robert was happy to share his memories of
growing up in Quebec in the 1940s and '50s.
Robert’s father worked for the CNR, and was
transferred from Fredericton to Montreal, where
Robert was born. Two years later, the family moved
to Quebec City. There, they lived in the working
class neighbourhood of St. Sauveur, sharing a
house with a French Canadian family. Young
Robert was the only Black child in the area, and the
only Protestant. At home, he spoke English, but
with his playmates he spoke French.
When the Payne family moved to a duplex in St.
Francois d’Assis, Robert attended an English
school. He found the children there less friendly
and accepting than his French friends, and settled
racial incidents with his fists. Robert seemed to be
cut out to be a Phys Ed teacher, so enrolled at
Laval. But a part-time job with a local radio station
began his love affair with broadcasting.
when Robert was at CKEY in Toronto, he got a call
from Herb, who wanted assistance with writing his
autobiography. Their book, A Fly in a Pail of Milk,
was published in 2000.
Today, the increasing number of radio stations
means that advertising dollars are stretched. In
addition, the internet allows individuals immediate
access to news when they want it. In Robert’s
opinion, the future of radio does not look
promising. He has embraced the new medium,
teaching media-related topics from traditional
broadcasting to computer and internet, both in
college classrooms and online.
A Fly in a Pail of
Milk: The Herb
Carnegie Story,
Herb Carnegie &
Robert Payne.
Toronto: Mosaic
Press, 2000
Congratulations, cousin!
New Brunswicker Willie O'Ree, the first Black
player in NHL history, was invested with the
Order of Canada earlier this year. He is a
relative of February’s speaker, Robert Payne.
Robert’s career took him to radio stations in
Ottawa, Niagara Falls, London and, finally,
Toronto. (Where he worked at CHUM, CKEY and
CBL) He worked in various capacities: newscaster,
reporter, or DJ, but drew the line at painting (an
order he declined at his first – brief – job). For
much of this time, he was the only Black person in
the radio station. Among the many people he has
interviewed are Keith Richards and Mick Jagger of
the Rolling Stones, and entertainer James Brown.
Robert described himself as a “rink rat” who
haunted the arena in Quebec City. He was a big fan
of the Quebec Aces, and in particular the all-black
line of Herb and Ossie Carnegie and Manny
McIntyre. Herb Carnegie boarded with the Payne
family while playing with the Aces. Years later,
6
Willie O'Ree & Her Excellency the Right
Honourable Michaëlle Jean.
Photo: Sgt Serge Gouin, Rideau Hall
North Toronto Historical Society Newsletter Vol. 34 No. 1, March 2010
MARCH
Lights, Camera, Archives:
a Clip of Ontario’s Past.
Stewart Boden, Outreach Co-ordinator for the
Archives of Ontario, gave a most entertaining
presentation using clips from movies made by the
Ontario government. The moving image was used
to promote health, tourism, road safety, and
provincial nationalism. (The iconic film A Place to
Stand, produced for Expo 67, won the Oscar for
best live action short.)
The earliest film in the collection was produced by
the Board of Health in 1922. It addressed the “girl
problem” – the hundreds of country girls who
moved to cities to find work in factories. Her Own
Fault is a cautionary tale, illustrated by the
contrasting life styles of two Toronto factory girls.
Eileen sleeps with the window open and jumps
joyfully from bed when the alarm rings. Marnie is a
“fast” girl, who dances into the night, sleeps in a
stuffy room, and is habitually late for work. Eileen,
of course, is promoted. Poor, wan, coughing Marnie
is confined to a hospital bed as the credits roll.
legislative debates. The largest private collection is
from TV station CFPL-TV, London, which donated
all its newsreels from 1953-74.
The Archives of Ontario’s elegant new facility at
York University now gives researchers easier
access to all collections within the archives
extensive holdings. This includes the SMI
Collection, which is being transferred to DVDs for
use in the Reading Room.
MORE Moving Images
www.archives.gov.on.ca
Archives of Ontario online exhibits
include over 100 audio and movie
clips. The bottom of the introductory
page of each topic mentions any SMI
components. Examples are Ontario
Government (e.g. education and public health)
and Eaton’s Toys.
MORE about the SMI Collection
http://www.archives.gov.on.ca/english/about/
preservation/smi.aspx
Mascot Molar
By the 1970s, the Ministry of
Health was pitching its
messages at children. One
TV hero was Murphy the
Molar, promoter of good oral
hygiene.
Murphy and other public
health clips can be found in
the online exhibit Medical
Records at the Archives of
Ontario.
Online Photographs:
A view from the beautiful Burroughes building.
Jonathan Castellino has taken photographs inside
and from the roof of 639 Queen St. West.
Originally the F.C. Burroughes Department store,
the seven-storey building was built in 1907.
http://www.blogto.com/city/2010/03/
a_view_from_the_beautiful_burroughes_building/
In 1958, the Department of Food & Agriculture,
together with the Macdonald Institute in Guelph,
produced a series of instructional films on domestic
subjects: “How to carve a turkey”, “How to
Barbeque a Chicken”, and the ironing spectacular
“5 Minutes Per Shirt”. These gems are available to
view on YouTube: search <Archives of Ontario>
The largest government group in the Sound &
Moving Image (SMI) Collection is recordings of
North Toronto Historical Society Newsletter Vol.34 No. 1, March 2010
7
Heritage Calendar
Enoch Turner Schoolhouse,
106 Trinity Street
(near King and Parliament)
Toronto’s Architectural Legacy:
William Thomas and John Lyle
Tues 4 May 2010, 7pm: William Thomas, Architect .
Glenn McArthur
Tues 11 May 2010, 7pm: A Progressive Traditionalist:
John M. Lyle, Architect. Glenn McArthur
Sun 16 May, 1pm: The Buildings of Thomas and Lyle:
Walking Tour with architectural historian (NTHS
member) Marta O’Brien
Tickets $15 ($12 for members) for each event; $40 for
series ($33 members)
INFO & TICKETS 416-863-0010 or
[email protected]
This is the 11th year for this celebration of Toronto’s
architecturally, historically, culturally and socially
significant buildings. This year, Doors Open Toronto is
going back to its roots: architecture is the theme and central
focus in 2010. Access to the buildings is free.
Two new programs add the expertise of architects as on-site
hosts at some locations: Ask an Architect @ their Building
and Ask an Architect @ their Office.
The Toronto Society of Architects will launch two Guided
Architecture Walking Tours on the Doors Open Toronto
weekend. Following the launch, paid tours will be offered
weekly from June through September.
http://www.torontosocietyofarchitects.ca/
The complete “Buildings to Visit” information will be
available from 1 May, 2010 at www.toronto.ca/doorsopen
(416-338-0338), and the official Program Guide will be
published in the Toronto Star on 27 May 2010.
Get Out! Take a walk...
Lost River Walks
http://www.lostrivers.ca/WalkSchd.htm
416-781-7663
Old Home Expo
ROMwalks
http://www.rom.on.ca/programs/rom_travel/
416-586-8000
Citywalks with Marta O’Brien
http://www.citywalks.ca/
416-699-9838
Heritage Toronto
http://www.heritagetoronto.org/discover-toronto/walk
416-338-0684
The schedule and descriptions of the 2010 walking
tour program will be available in mid-April.
We welcome contributions from members: heritage
events and achievements, brief articles
and photographs of local history interest.
Presented by Edifice Old Home Magazine
www.OldHomeExpo.com
St. Volodymyr Cultural Centre
1280 Dundas Street West (Hwy #5) Oakville, ON
1 & 2 May 2010, 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Workshops (free with paid admission) include: How
to Best Plan Your Restoration/Renovation; Repairing
Rot on Wood Windows; Adding-On To a Heritage
Home; Best Practice to Repair Cracked Plaster; and a
host of other topics of interest to the heritage home
owner.
Exhibitors include restoration professionals, artisans
and craftsmen, architectural millwork, custom
designed furniture, and traditional home products from
the top of the chimney to the bottom of the foundation.
Cost: $10.00 with online coupon
Submissions for the next Newsletter by
10 June to [email protected] or call
416416-481481-6622.
INFO Nena at 519-752-9801 or
[email protected]
North Toronto Historical Society
An affiliate of the Ontario Historical Society, and a non-profit charitable organization.
℅ 129 Blythwood Road, Toronto, Ontario M4N 1A5
www.northtorontohistoricalsociety.org
Annual Memberships: Seniors & Students $5, Adults $7, Families $10
2009 Executive (*Directors)
President & Programmes: *Lynda Moon
Membership Co-ordinator: *Alex Grenzebach, 416-483-8475
Newsletter Editor: *Hilary Dawson
Treasurer: Bill Dawson
Members-at-large: Don Ritchie, Doug Campbell, Ken Pon
Past President: John Hutchinson
Publicity: *Joan Sampson, 416-488-0939
Secretary: Donald Duncan
Research: Hilary Dawson
Walks: *Bill Ramsay